The Mojave Road is a genuine, blood-and-guts Old West
transdesert wagon trail using a few waterholes to cross 139 miles
of remote outback between Fort Mojave, Arizona, and Camp Cady, near
Barstow in California. Long before it was used by supply wagons in
the 1800s, it was a link in an ancient trade route between the Pacific
coast and the Hopi pueblos in New Mexico. Nowadays it's a four-wheel
drive trail running across remote backcountry that's almost as wild
as it ever was in the old days.

It's a rugged trail, rocky over four mountain ranges
and sandy across the deserts, but it is rideable. It demands physical
endurance - outdoor savvy - thorough preparation - and an appetite
for adventure. That last is essential - it'll see you through when
all else fails.

There's nothing but outback in the hundred miles between
Fort Mojave, and Baker, CA, the nearest town on the western end of
the trail. The waterholes are about 30 miles apart and mainly for
emergency use - not quite up to modern standards of hygiene. But before
the motor vehicle era, desert travellers had a long tradition of caching
supplies of food and water, and then betting their lives that the
supplies would be there when needed. Not knowing the condition of
the trail or the waterholes, I set four caches along the route.

Researching the trail, I found some excellent material,
but it was all by and for motorized travellers. As to whether it was
practical on a bike, I had to go see for myself. These pages aim to
fix that.